


A Gruesome Testimony

by BattleAngel



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Grows A Pair, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Bamf marinette, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila and Mari fight and aftermath is huge, Marinette's a real life Ladybug, Plagg and Tikki trying so hard, Volpina vs. Regular Old Marinette, drabble gone rogue, like literal bashing and Mari's the one doing it, like spine bashing, my sunshine child mari throws hands like a boss, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:22:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22486288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattleAngel/pseuds/BattleAngel
Summary: Adrien’s heightened senses picked up low growling from the back of the room. He slowly turned to see Marinette tensed over her desk, muscles coiled.Like she was about to spring at someone.Adrien’s first instinct was to duck. He’d seen Marinette snap once. It was at Chloe. And, well, it wasn’t pretty.But then he saw it fluttering at the window.Akuma. AKUMA!Bad. This is very bad. If Marinette is akumatized in this state-Paris would burn.The blue-black demonic insect squeezed itself through the window seam and fluttered toward Marinette, loping along like it had all the time in the world.He found his wits for a moment.“Mari! Marinette, AKUMA!” he screamed, pointing behind her. The whole class whipped around to see Marinette’s head snap up, panicked for a moment.Then her eyes narrowed.And she grinned.(AKA the writer is feeling sadistic and takes it out on the sunshine children)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 49
Kudos: 871
Collections: Lila Anon Support Group, Miraculous Stories





	A Gruesome Testimony

**Author's Note:**

> So I was bored and the plot bunny was bothering me, so I started some crazy thing and it became this 4k words of madness.   
> Comments are lifeblood :3

When Marinette walks in the room, cold glares meet her eyes. She stops for a moment, but puts her head down and hurries to her desk in the back, avoiding eye contact.

She is the perfect picture of someone hopeless, drawing in on herself.

But she is seething.

The door opens again, and  _ she _ walks in.

That absolute  _ snake. _

Well, Marinette can say one thing for her. She keeps her promises.

Lila sweeps into the classroom, casting a benevolent gaze upon her loyal subjects, who chorus cheerful greetings.

Alya smiles at Lila kindly as Lila sits down.

Right where Marinette used to sit.

Lila turns for a moment, and meets Marinette’s eyes. 

Her smile flashes again, the perfect picture of innocent friendliness. 

But something raw and rotted glistens behind those perfect teeth, in those slitted green eyes.

Marinette is  _ done. _

Not yet, though. She’s got to bide her time, lay some groundwork.

_ I’m getting smarter, Lila. Your mind games must be contagious. _

Marinette sinks down in her seat a little though, as Alya turns to see what Lila’s looking at, and stiffens when her eyes find Marinette’s and narrow.

Lila’s taken almost everything.

Adrien must have seen the murder in Marinette’s glare, because he slowly, almost imperceptibly shook his head. 

Chloe had already latched on to him, and would undoubtedly stay there the rest of the day. 

Lila had leeched the life out of anyone who could have stopped her. She planted rumors about Marinette everywhere, and before Marinette knew it, everyone looked at her with suspicion or contempt.

She kept Adrien under her thumb using Marinette, threatening to bring Marinette even lower if her didn’t stay out of her way.

She gave Chloe Adrien to distract her, suggesting that perhaps Adrien would enjoy some company, now that he couldn’t hang out with his other friends.

After all, Alya was eating out of her hands after a couple stories. Lila’s Ladybug’s best friend? Lila knows Christiane Amanpour? Ooh la la, what else?

The class is quiet now. Everyone thinks they’re alone.  _ If I don’t follow, what if she does to me what she did to Marinette? _

Lila had the kingdom keys.

But Marinette’s not done yet.

“Class, I’ve got to go to the office for a minute. Don’t get into any trouble until I return. Please work through pages 334 to 350,” she said, and walked out. The door clicked behind her.

The class instantly devolved into conversation, all gathering around Lila, eager to hear her most recent tale. Lila, delighted, immediately began to inform them all of her plans to be over in the American hurricane disaster areas with a notable charity that she was apparently a chair member of. 

“Marinette, did you hear?” Rose jumped excitedly. “Lila’s  _ sooo _ nice!”

Lila turned to Rose, a faux look of sorrow adorning her features. “Oh, sweet Rose, I know Marinette doesn’t like me much. She probably doesn’t want to hear about it,” Lila placed a hand on her own cheek quizzically. “Why don’t you like me, Marinette? I’m only ever kind to you,” she simpered, smiling sweetly at Marinette. 

Blood is roaring in Marinette’s ears, drowning out the rest of the world. Her vision tunneled, focusing on Lila’s maggoty, slimy smile. 

Adrien’s heightened senses picked up low growling from the back of the room. He slowly turned to see Marinette tensed over her desk, muscles coiled.

Like she was about to spring at someone.

Adrien’s first instinct was to duck. He’d seen Marinette snap once. It was Chloe. And, well, it wasn’t pretty.

But then he saw it fluttering at the window.

_ Akuma. AKUMA! _

Bad. This is very bad. If Marinette is akumatized in this state-

Paris would burn.

The blue-black demonic insect squeezed itself through the window seam and fluttered toward Marinette, loping along like it had all the time in the world.

He found his wits for a moment.

“Mari!  _ Marinette, AKUMA!” _ he screamed, pointing behind her. The whole class whipped around to see Marinette’s head snap up, panicked for a moment.

Then her eyes narrowed.

And she grinned.

And grabbed the butterfly out of the air, sweeping it up in her grasp. The class screamed synonymously, staring in horror as the familiar glowing purple moth silhouette appeared over Marinette’s blue eyes. 

They shrank back as Marinette stalked down the aisle.

“No, Papillion, I think I’ve got a better idea. Wouldn’t you rather your regular customer?” she stopped in front of Lila, smirking at her. “Wouldn’t you rather someone who’d enjoy it?” 

Marinette grabbed Lila’s wrist, dragging her forward and pushing the akuma into Lila’s bracelet. Lila staggered back with a gasp as the mask switched from Marinette’s face to hers.

“Here’s my story, Lila,” Marinette said, watching Lila writhe on the floor. “You became  _ so very  _ distraught when your  _ charity event _ was cancelled,” she snarled, “that a little butterfly came to visit us today. You were in the middle of accepting the akuma when I stepped in.”

She saw Lila’s expression twist into something confused. 

Then Marinette punched her across the face. Blood arced through the air as Marinette delivered two swift uppercuts, knocking Lila’s chin up. The class screamed again as Marinette flew into a flurry of kicks and punches, roundhouse then two boxes across the ears. 

Adrien watched in horror as Lila growled, then closed her eyes. The purple mass flowed over her, leaving a smug Volpina behind.

“What are you going to do  _ now,  _ Marinette?” she snarled. “I think I’m just a little out of your league,” and Volpina tried to kick around to hit Marinette’s side. But Mari saw it coming and grabbed Volpina’s leg, then flipped her over onto the ground. Volpina sprang up with fists flying but Mari flew back in a back-handspring, landing fists ready. 

Volpina growled and whipped her flute out. 

“Fine. We’ll settle this the hard way,” she snapped.

The two of them circled each other warily. The other students backed against the walls. Tossed desks blocked the doors. 

“I’m done with your little  _ games _ , Lila. I don’t like the role you make me play. But you want me to be the bad guy? Believe me, I can be the bad guy.”

“Ha!” Volpina laughed. “You pitiful little thing. I've got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined. You think you can defeat me in  _ this  _ form?” she gestured to the fox costume she sported. “You’ve got another thing coming.”

Marinette snarled. “You don’t know  _ anything  _ about me,  _ Liar-la _ . I could run circles around you any day. You never would have gotten this far, had  _ someone _ not told me to take the high road,” she glared at Adrien, and he shrank back. “But I’m glad I waited, I suppose.” She smirked. “Now you can get the beating you deserve.”

“Let’s finish this now, then,” Lila said. “First one who can’t get up leaves the school.  _ For good. _ ”

Marinette grinned. “It would be my genuine pleasure to send you packing.”

“W-wait,” Adrien broke in, and both girls wheeled on him, glaring. “Sh-shouldn’t Lila give up her akuma first? We want a fair fight, r-right?” he swallowed nervously.

But Marinette smiled at him kindly. “Oh, don’t worry about me, kitty. I can take this imbecile any day, any way.”

He stiffened at the name.

_Kitty._ _W-what was that-_

“Now, where were we…” Lila mused mockingly. “Oh, yes,” she grinned. “I’m breaking your legs.”

They rushed at each other, clashing in a flurry of orange and pink. Students screamed and backed away from the tornado, blue and green eyes flashing. Volpina was able to get a note out on her flute, and Marinette, in a gasp, hit the wall with a sickening crunch and fell to the floor, leaving a smear of rusty blood on the wall. 

The class sucked in a collective gasp, and Adrien screamed as Volpina towered over Marinette, brandishing her flute. Volpina swung the flute at Marinette’s knees, and, with a smirk, crushed her knees with the flute. Marinette shrieked, a hideous, grating sound. 

Then it disappeared in a puff of flame-coloured smoke.

Marinette swept through the illusion, fake Volpina and fake crying Marinette giving way to a mere human.

But fire burned in her eyes.

_ Alya, Nino, Adrien, hell, even Chloe. _

She had to get rid of Lila.

Volpina stepped out from behind a sheen of invisibility, snarling. They flew at each other again, but this time began to rise in the air. Volpina swung around to kick Marinette, but Mari ducked and grabbed Volpina’s leg, twisting her midair and, in a moment of slow motion, delivered a right-hook. 

Volpina’s head snapped back and blood arced, spraying Alya, who was shakily recording. Alya fell back with a gasp as Lila’s blood covered her camera lense.

Marinette turned to her and winked.

Then she picked Volpina up, bridal style, and brought her down over her knee, like one would break a stick.

Spine cracked.

Volpina’s pupils turned to pinpoints, and little beads of blood rose from her cracked lips. She fell to the floor, a little whine escaping her. Marinette swept the hair out of her face, unintentionally smearing Volpina’s blood over her forehead in a gruesome testimony.

She bent down, and whispered in Volpina’s ear.

“ _ Well? Can you get up? Come on, Liar-la, get up. You can do it.”  _ Marinette cooed mockingly. “Get up, Lila. Get.  **_UP_ ** . _ ”  _ She kicked Volpina in the ribs savagely. Volpina choked, and screeched as her spine shifted. “I see. Well, then I guess we’re done here, _ ”  _ Marinette said with a mock cheeriness.

She plucked Volpina’s bracelet off her wrist and crushed it in a fist. The little black butterfly that emerged from the shards flitted up to the ceiling frantically, but Marinette swiped it out of the air. “ _ Gotcha,” _ she whispered to herself with a smile. 

She opened her fist, and a glowing white butterfly emerged.

Pure.

Then she snapped her fingers. “ _ Miraculous Ladybug.” _

The Miraculous Cure swept over the room, erasing all signs of the battle that had just taken place. Lila was still lying on the floorboards, but all evidence of the beating she had just taken was gone. 

The blood on Alya’s camera remained. Alya raised her gaze from the screen with wide eyes to see Marinette with a split lip, bloody knuckles, and bruises emerging all over her.

A little gasp escaped her as she stared at her friend.

Marinette raised a bloody hand to point at them all huddled in the corner, they shrank back. “None o’ ya’ll better say nothin’” she slurred, then swayed. Adrien leapt forward to catch her, and she crumpled in his arms, energy gone. 

She looked up into his summer green eyes, vision fading fast. She raised a shaky hand and placed it on his cheek, whispering. 

“ _ Don’t worry about me, minou. I think I’ll just… rest a little.” _ Then her eyes closed, and her hand slipped from his cheek, leaving a smear of blood.

Lila stood and brushed off her outfit. 

“Wh-what happened?” she said, doe-eyes wide.

Adrien whispered something, but no one heard him. 

“Hm? Adrien, did you say something?”

“ _ What were you doing to Marinette? _ ”

“Adrien, I-I don’t understand what you’re-”   
  


“ _ WHAT WERE YOU DOING TO HER?” _ Adrien yelled, whipping around to scream in Lila’s face. “You told me that if I became your lackey you’d leave her alone. Stop  _ threatening  _ her, stop  _ stealing from her _ , stop  _ trashing her name _ ,” he hissed. “If she was angry enough for an akuma,  _ you _ must have been why.”

“A-Adrien, I think you might be jumping to some conclusions. You see, I-I saw Chloe push her!” the class gasped as Lila wheeled around to point at Chloe, who looked stricken. “It was this morning! Marinette was coming in and-”

“ _ Enough _ , Lila,” Adrien growled. “Chloe’s been hanging on me twenty-four seven. If she’d so much as  _ looked _ at my Pri-uhm,  _ Marinette _ , I’d have known.”

“B-but, she  _ akumatized me! _ Why aren’t you all locking her away? She’s working with  _ Papillion!  _ You heard her talking to him yourself! Adrien, why are you even  _ touching  _ her?! Evil could be contagious!”   
  


Nino stepped up.

“We’ve all heard him in our heads, Lila. Even you. You gonna say that all of us are working with Papillion?”

Alix stepped up beside him. They shared a confident nod.

“Besides, what about what she said to  _ you _ , Lila? We all heard her say Papillion preferred someone willing. Then she shoved the butterfly on  _ you _ . Doesn’t that seem a little fishy to anyone?”

“B-b-but…”

“Lila, “ all heads swung to Adrien. Lila had conjured up crocodile tears. “I knew. I knew from the beginning that you were lying. About Jagged Stone, Prince Ali, all your travels and time out of school- I knew it all was fake the whole time,” his gaze dropped to Marinette’s bloody face. “So did Marinette.”

A quick intake of breath.

“I told her to take the high road. I said that hurting a bully never made them better. So Marinette didn’t say anything, and neither did I,” he drooped. “If I had said something, maybe it wouldn’t have come to this.” his breath caught in his chest and a sob choked out. “I should have said something.  _ I’m so sorry, Princess,” _ he whispered. Then he sank down against a desk and clutched Marinette’s unconscious body to his chest, her blood staining his shirt, his tears staining her face.

But then Alya stood.

She looked at her best friend, bloody and bruised, still cradled in the weeping model’s arms.

Took a deep breath.

“No. Adrien, it’s not your fault,” she said, taking a deep breath. “It’s mine. I could have checked my facts. No,” she said, pushing her glasses up. “I  _ should  _ have checked my facts. But I didn’t. I let myself take Lila’s word for everything. And in doing so, failed my duty as a journalist.” She looked at Marinette. “And as a best friend.” 

Alya turned and fled the room. Nino followed her, Alix trailing behind.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Only Adrien’s sniffles permeated the student’s ears. They all looked awkwardly at their feet, shuffling.

Then Kim stood and walked out the door. Lila gasped, laying a hand to her breast. 

“Kim! What are you- wait! Where are you all  _ going? _ What are you-Chloe!” Lila ran to Chloe, grabbing her arm and looking at her with wild, panicked eyes. “Chloe, we’re friends, right? Right?! I gave you Adrien-”

Chloe sneered at Lila. “You played me for a fool, Rossi. I can’t believe you think that makes us anything but  _ enemies, _ ” she hissed at Lila, jerking her arm back. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do.”

Abd Chloe walked out, Sabrina following close behind. Ivan and Mylene crept out, casting sympathetic looks to Adrien as they went. Then Rose and Juleka. Max.

Nathaniel stopped next to Adrien and unconscious Marinette, kneeling down to whisper in Adrien’s ear.

“Thank you. You stood up when none of the rest of us would.”

Adrien cast him a small smile. 

“It wasn’t me,” he mumbled. “It was Mari.”

Nathaniel nodded, and left.

It was just the three of them now.

“I’m taking Marinette. And you’re going to leave,” Adrien said.

“Oh, Adrien, I don’t think I am.”

“You remember. I know you do. You and Marinette made a bet, and she  _ won  _ that fight.”

“And you assume I’ll honor your intentions?”

“I could go to Damocles.”

“And tell him what? Marinette and I fought to kill and whoever lost would have to leave school forever? Maybe he’d like to know all about Marinette purposefully akumatized someone. About how she’s working with Papillion, and I can  _ prove it. _ ”

Adrien scoffed. “It’s your word against all of ours, Lila. And believe me,  _ no one _ will be sticking up to support your  _ lies. _

“Marinette was right, Lila. If I hadn’t told her to take the high road, you  _ never _ would have gotten this far. And now that my bad advice is out of the way? When Marinette wakes up, you’re in for a  _ world  _ of hate. So my advice to you?”

He narrowed his eyes at Lila and snarled, “Get out while you still can.”

They were trapped in a standoff for a moment, neither of them breaking each other’s glare, neither of them willing to yield. 

Then Marinette stirred.

Lila’s eyes widened. She turned and ran, her frantic footsteps echoing down the hall.

Adrien exhaled a deep breath of relief.

“ _ Little k-k-kitty on a roof... _ ” Marinette’s eyes were unfocused, and she stared off into space, raising a hand as if reaching out to someone.

But no one was there.

“ _ All alone without his Lad~y…” _

“Marinette! Mari, talk to me. Princess, what’s wrong?” he grasped her outstretched hand desperately and she turned to him, eyes wandering dreamily. 

“ _ L-l-l-little kitty- little kitty on a roof, all alone- _ ” she broke off with a cough, and blood came up on Adrien’s shirt. “ _ Kitty needs his-his-his Lad~y- _ ” she coughed again. “ _ Kitt~y…” _

“Marinette! Buginette, M’Lady, I’m here, I’m right here, please,” he placed her hand to his cheek, holding it there. “Princess, I’m here, I’m right here, I’m-” a sob rose in his chest. He looked back the way Lila had ran, eyes burning.

“I’ll kill her, I’ll kill her, I’ll-”

“ _ Kitty need-need-needs his Lad~y-” _

He snapped back to her.

“I’m right here, Marinette, I’m- Claws out.” 

The green light raced over him. Marinette looked up, still cradled in his lap.

“Marinette, do you see? I’m here, I’m here…” he grasped her hand and ran it through his hair, over his cat ears and along the edges of his mask.

His tears and her blood intermingled and ran down his face.

“Buginette, it’s me, see? I’m here, I’ve been here the whole time, I’m so-”

“ _ Kitty on a roof, all a-a-alone… _ ” Marinette broke off in a crying wail, and began to beat her tiny fists against his chest. “ _ Kitty all alone, need-need-needs his Lady…” _

“Mari, I’m here, it’s okay, it’s okay, please…”

\--

The ambulance lights splashed red on the walls of the courtyard. Their classmates watched solemnly as Marinette was loaded onto a gurney, Adrien walking beside her and holding her hand, murmuring things to her as they started hooking her up to machines.

Alya wasn’t there.

\--

Marinette hadn’t been in class for the past five months. Adrien had shown up pale and disheveled daily, and never spoke to anyone, kept his head down and prepared for exams with the rest of them. It was rumored he was staying over at Marinette’s.

No one but those in Mme. Bustier’s homeroom knew why. And they weren’t telling.

\--

  
  


“I’m so sorry, Adrien. You shouldn’t have to do this. It’s my fault,” the tiny red kwami sniffled. 

Adrien looked up from his chair by Marinette’s bedside. “No, Tikki, it’s not. You have to stop blaming yourself.”

“But if she hadn’t had to draw energy from herself for the Miraculous Cure she wouldn’t be like this! If my magic and I had never come near her she’d never have been in that situation,” Tikki cried, burying her tiny head in Adrien’s hair.

“Calm down, Sugarcube,” Plagg soothed. “We’ve been around and around with this. Your fault, Adrien’s fault, reporter-girl’s fault, lying bitch’s fault-”

“Plagg! Language!” Tikki gasped, her motherly nature popping in.

“Well, she is,” Plagg narrowed his eyes. “Hurting my chosen. Yours too, Sugar. Glad your bug gave her the what-for. Another day of Chloe and me’n Fu would have had to have an awkward conversation about not cataclysming people,” he snarled.

“Calm down, you two,” Adrien sighed, dragging a sweaty hand through his dirty hair. “Anyway, it’s my-”

“ _ DON’T YOU DARE!”  _ both kwami screeched.

“But it  _ is _ !”

Tikki glared at him, fire in her endless eyes. “ _ No _ . You’re the best Chat Noir I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, Adrien. And I won’t have that- that-”

“Say it, Sugarcube. It feels  _ good _ .”

“ _ THAT LYING  _ **_BITCH!_ ** _ ” _

Adrien blinked.

Marinette stirred. 

Their eyes snapped to her as her head wobbled a bit, limp dark hair stirring. Adrien leaned over her, brushing the hair back from her face as Tikki fretted over her.

“She’s so pale. That’s not normal, is it?” Adrien said softly, flatly. 

“I don’t  _ know! _ None of my other chosens ever tried to harness the Cure when not transformed. This is...” Plagg pulled Tikki back, towards the desk and the two of them’s little beds. Tikki’s quiet sobs trailing behind.

Adrien looked at Marinette, whose face was moving, her eyebrows scrunching up in something like confusion.

“ _ M-m-my kitty… _ ”

Adrien closed his eyes. He couldn’t watch. Couldn’t watch this anymore. 

“I’m right here, Mari. I’m here, M’Lady,” he whispered, bending to lay his forehead on her unmoving damp one. She continued to murmur, and all he could do was draw her up in her arms and hold her. 

She’d wake up in an hour, maybe. Stay for ten minutes. Then fall back here again, this dream world sleep that she couldn’t escape from. 

\--

The doctors felt she’d be more comfortable in a familiar environment, that hopefully soon she’d walk up and know where she was, instead of crying and screaming for who Plagg said was every past Chat Noir. It was someone different every time, a Henry and Felix and a Mávri Gáta. 

Plagg broke down when he heard her crying for that one. 

Tikki said Mávri Gáta had been a tragedy. One of the countless kittens Plagg had lost as their power consumed them, as loss was consuming Adrien.

They couldn’t go on like this much longer.

\--

Fu said he didn’t know. He had no idea how to help Marinette. That this had never happened before, that he would go and see if he could find some answers. 

They hadn’t heard from him since. 

\--

Adrien’s father had given up on trying to get Adrien to come home. After he’d seen him, seen Marinette, he knew there was nothing he could do. A new guilt weighed on his heart, because the akuma Volpina had used to break Marinette was his. 

Akumas after M. Agreste’s visit were few and far between. M. Bug would show up, defeat it with pure force, and race away. M. Agreste had connected the dots, but he wouldn’t do anything with it. 

He’d broken a family, like Emilie’s death had broken his. 

After a month of halfhearted akumas, the butterfly miraculous had mysteriously shown up on Marinette’s balcony. Adrien kept it with him now, occasionally letting Nooroo out to play. But wearing the miraculous was the only way to let the kwami out, and Adrien refused to wear the thing for long. 

\--

Marinette’s parents has become accustomed to Adrien’s constant presence with Marinette. Grateful, even. They had to tend to business downstairs. They became reluctantly accustomed to bringing up two hot meals every night, and removing them later, now cold. They’d become accustomed to their daughter not being quite there.

Sometimes she’d wake up with a bright smile, greet everyone cheerily, and hop upstairs to take a hot, steamy shower and eat dinner with her family. But too often she would devolve into screams and tears in the middle of anything and everything. 

So Adrien would gather her up and take her back up to her attic room and lay her in her bed, stay by her side. He stood outside the door warily when she showered, ready to leap in and catch her if she lost consciousness, if her cries reverberated off the tile walls. 

Modesty had really stopped being an issue after about the fourth time.

\--

That was the worst part of it all, that the real Marinette was still in there somewhere, being tortured by visions of the past. The real Marinette was still in there and hurting.

And Adrien couldn’t do anything for her while she was in there. So he cared for her mortal body, making sure that as soon as she won the war in her head (as he was sure she would) this world would be ready for her.

All he could do was wait and hope.

Because no matter what the kwami said, it was still his fault, and the thought haunted him. A gruesome testimony to his fate as the bearer of bad luck, now a self-made social pariah. 

All he can do is hope.


End file.
